You Capture. Sky.

Here are a few pics inspired by this week's You Capture.



I think trees are beautiful.


Sometimes early mornings are hard for me, but this makes it all worth it.




These girls have a piece of my heart.

The Challenge. June 2010.

In Africa it is said that

Water is life.

Here, in a place where such a resource is so readily available that we literally flush it down the toilet, it is hard to fathom our every minute of waking existence revolving around obtaining enough of it just to live.

But in many places, and for many people, it does.

Often times children cannot attend school because their hours of daylight are spent hauling water. Mothers cannot help bring in income or care for their home because of the strenuous and long labor that attaining water requires. And many times this water, this life that they work so hard to obtain, is tainted with death.

Here are the facts:

~One in six people on the planet do not have access to clean water. That is over one billion people.

~Every minute three children die from unsafe drinking water.

~Right now half of the people in developing countries are suffering from water related illness.

~Access to clean water can transform an entire community by cutting child death rates in half and dramatically decreasing hours of labor.

~$1 can provide clean water for one person for an entire year.

Let me say that last one again:

~$1 can provide clean water for one person for an entire year.

That is where we come.

This month's challenge is 2 weeks of sacrifice.

The idea is quite simple, really. Choose two weeks in the month of June to commit to drinking tap water only, and donate the money you save to literally save lives.

I encourage you to not only forgo those pricey sweet drinks and your morning coffee, but if you drink bottled water to give that up also. If you live in the United States it is more than likely that the water straight from your tap is not only safe, but is exactly the same thing you buy in those fancy bottles.

As you begin your 2 weeks of sacrifice, I challenge you to encourage your spouse, children, friends, and co-workers to join in. Each drink that you sacrifice could literally be saving a life.

As you face the little temptations that you will meet along the way, remember what you have to be thankful for. Praise God for those things that you so often take for granted, and pray for those who are struggling without.

For more information on how water saves lives, and how you can help, please visit Blood:Water Mission

Words. Joy.

"When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty."- Jeremiah 15:16



"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."
-3 John 1:4



"Joy is prayer - Joy is strength- Joy is love - Joy is a net of love
by which you can catch souls. She gives most who gives with Joy." -Mother
Teresa



"Joy is the echo of God’s life in us."-Abbot Coumba Marmion



Please feel free to share your favorite words of joy.

Things That Children May Pee In

I have to open this post by saying that I absolutely LOVE my job. I work in special education, and the children I work with really do bring joy to my life.

With that said, some days are days where you have to either laugh or cry. Yesterday was one of those days, and I chose to laugh. One of the many events that took place yesterday inspired this post.

Here are some things, that I know first hand, that children may pee in.

This one I credit to boys being boys.

This one makes sense but doesn't at the same time. It is in the bathroom, but come one, the toilet is so close!

This is the pot that we cook pretend meals in. The pretend soup has been forever tainted.

In defense of the child who peed in the pot (previous picture), it was located here. Hey, I guess the kid was just making himself at home.

I think this one is the funniest, but maybe because it happened to a friend of mine and not me.

And last but not least, we all thought it was so cute when one of the students sat on this therapy tube and said "toilet". We thought it was so creative for him to use his imagination that way, as many autistic children are literal to the core. It wasn't so cute a couple days later when one of the other students, who heard it called "toilet", did take it literally.


So there you go, you have been warned.

Confession

I know I could be doing more, but sometimes I convince myself that I do enough.

By 'do enough', I mean do enough work for the Kingdom.

It is a direct relation to what I talked about in To the Point of Sacrifice.

It is the attitude that I already commit this much time volunteering, and I do a little bit extra here and there. I do more than a lot of people, and that is good enough.

But it is not.

Recently I have been challenged by Richard Stearns, in his book The Hole in Our Gospel, to examine where and how I am investing my time, talents, and treasure.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -Matthew 6:21

I want my heart to break for the things the break the heart of God.

And I want my actions to reflect this. In every way, in every opportunity.

In response, I am committing to do more.

I have been praying about how to do this, and this is what God has placed on my heart.

Every month I am going to, with prayer and guidance, choose a challenge.

These challenges may be a personal challenge to strengthen my relationship with God. It may be a challenge to do something way beyond my comfort zone. It may be a challenge to learn, share, give, or go.

But each month it will be something new. And it will offer the opportunity to do more.

And to make things more exciting, I am inviting you to come along.

That's right. Consider it a challenge.

On Friday I will be posting the first challenge, which will be for the month of June. God's already been placing specific things on my heart, and I am excited about how we may be a blessing through these things.

Meanwhile, if you have not already done so, I would encourage you to buy, check-out, or borrow a copy of The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns. It will give you insights into God's heart for the poor, and his call for all believers. It will teach you about the different aspects of poverty, and how we can make a difference. And, prayerfully, it will encourage you to do more.

With that said, I leave you with these words from Jimmy Carter:

"My faith demands- this is not optional- my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference."

Proud Grandchild

A few weeks ago I took the opportunity in this post to brag a little about my grandparents.

Recently, my mom nominated my grandparents for an award given out by a local Denver news station. The segment is called "Feel Good Fridays", and it awards local citizens who go above and beyond to do good.

I am happy to say that my very deserving grandparents were chosen. You can watch the news segment here.

Good as Dead

Today, as I was working with My Little Sweetheart, a man walks into the classroom.

A man holding a rose.



Who claims his name is Bob.



Apparently the love of my life, the father of my child.



My co-workers are as good as dead.

You Capture. Depth of Field.

I have to admit, this week's You Capture convinced me that I really should take a photography class. There are so many gadgets and settings on my camera, most of which I have no idea what they do!

Somehow I managed, so without further ado, here are the results for my 'depth of field' experimentation.







I took this picture last year when I was in India. Most people don't get it, but it is one of my favorites.
I think its the bare feet that get me.

Words. Hands and Feet.

Often in my reading I run along words that are just so wise. They need no explanations or additions. They are, in themselves, full of beautiful meaning.

I thought I would start sharing with you some of these words. And I believe Wednesdays would be the perfect days to do so.

Here is some beautiful wisdom with the theme of hands and feet.

"Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now." -Saint Teresa of Avila


"But any head analysis of what Jesus expects of those who choose to follow Him must be accompanied by the heart, and the hands and feet as well." -Richard Stearns, The Hole in Our Gospel


"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'" Isaiah 52:7


"What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like." -Saint Augustine


"The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless." -Billy Graham



If there are any hands and feet quotes you would like to add, please feel free to share!

God Is So Weird Sometimes

...in an awesome beyond human comprehension kind of way, of course.

My Grandma Allen has a double dose of cancer. About 7 years ago she was diagnosed with leukemia, and was given 5-6 years to live. Then about 6 months ago she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. I am happy to say she is still alive and kicking today. And when I say kicking I mean stubborn and ornery.

Yep, we're related.

Really though, God does some crazy wacky things. And sometimes I don't get it. But once in a while I do.

In January my grandma's doctor made her an appointment with a specialist in Sacramento, presumably the best in the state.

To take a trip to Sacramento with my grandma it is a bit of a big ordeal. She is in a wheelchair, due to having polio as a child, and has no use of one of her legs, and very little in the other, which means on her bad days she needs a trained professional to get her in and out of her wheelchair. Then, of course, my Aunt Janice needs to go. She has a great heart, and wants to be involved and supportive in every way, but she completely freaks out in situations like this. So of course she needs someone to support her, and to drive, which would be me.

So, in January, the four of us set out on a road trip to Sacramento. Four wild girls on the open road, ready for adventure. Of course we wished it was under better circumstances, but regardless we wanted to make the most of it.

The trip went fairly smooth until we reached our hotel, other than the wrong directions to the wrong hotel and circling the same area 18 times until we found our luxury Motel 6.

Hotel arrangements had been made before we left, through the internet, based solely on distance to the hospital. Unfortunately it was already dark when we arrived, and our room only had 1 towel, and no extra blankets or pillows or the cot we requested. Usually this would be no big deal, just a call to the front desk, but when we did this we were refused. Why, you may ask? Because the staff were not allowed to leave the bullet-proof office without being accompanied by a security guard. And there was no security guard on duty. Comforting.

So, we dealt. I've slept on the bare floor many times before, and I actually don't mind it so much.

The real drama didn't come until the next morning.

We had to be at the hospital by 8am. To give time to allow my grandma to get in and out of the car, and other logistics like having time to wander all over the hospital before finding the right office, we figured we would have to leave by 7:15.

We awoke at 5am. Grandma took her turn in the bathroom first. About five minutes into her primping the electricity goes out. For reals. Pitch black. And of course at 5:05 am we had absolutely no help from the sun.

We wait, in the dark, hoping it will come back on. 5:30am, still no light.

I walked outside (without being accompanied by a security guard) to see if there were any lights on down the street, and eureka, the IHOP half a block away was up and running.

So what do we do? Being four wild (and resourceful) girls, up for adventure, we packed up all of our stuff by the light of my cell phone (and by the way I do not have an iphone, so no, I do not have an app for that), checked out, and headed for IHOP.

Easier said then done, believe me.

We arrived at IHOP, made friends with the hostess, and she oh so kindly allowed us to get ready in their bathroom. We stayed for breakfast too, of course, and bonded with the family at the booth next to us who walked in with wet and somewhat soapy hair. Apparently the water at the hotel shut off shortly after the electricity.

It was a crazy and wacky morning. And we laughed a lot. We had our adventure.

Later that morning we were told by the specialist that if my grandma opted for surgery, she would likely never recover. Due to her age and her other health factors, he said surgery and even chemo would dramatically lessen the quality of life that she has left.

The best option would be to live as well as she can for as long as she can. To let the cancer take its course. It could be five months, it could be five years.

So she is living, and the cancer is taking its course.

It is a roller-coaster ride. A ride that keeps you laughing or crying.

Once in a while we bring up that trip to Sacramento. But the crazy and wacky part is that when we think of that trip we don't think about the cancer. We think about the adventure.

It is not one of those things that we say that we will look back at one day and laugh.

No, not at all.

It is one of those things that we laughed at then, and we cherish now. And we laugh at now too. But mostly we cherish it.

So, God is weird and wacky. Sometimes I don't understand things, like cancer. But sometimes he lets me understands things, like that crazy morning and the series of unfortunate events.

And for that I am thankful.

To the Point of Sacrifice

I recently started a study on the book of Acts. It is one of those books that every time I read it, I notice different things. I think I have read through it at least 20 times, and each time God reveals new and exciting things.

Something that jumped out at me (and slapped me in the face) most recently is Acts chapter 2, verses 44-47:

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Specifically verse 45:

Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.

I have to ask myself, do we, as believers, do that today?

Sure, we tithe. We even give a little extra to missions. Maybe like me you sponsor a child or two or three. But what happens when there is a need that doesn't fit into our budget?

Do we, as believers, live sacrificial lives?

It is one thing to give what we can.

It is another thing to give, in faith, what we cannot.

I am going to be honest. Sometimes I feel God's tug at my heart to give beyond my comfort zone.

Sometimes I am obedient. I give, and God provides.

But more times than not I justify my way out of it.

You know, I tithe, and I already gave extra to this and extra to that, so for now I've done my part...maybe next time.

No big deal, right? Right?

Can these little acts of disobedience really effect the kingdom?

And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Because of the actions of the believers, people were being saved. Everyday.

Maybe not just because they gave sacrificially. But they were obedient in every way. To the point of sacrifice.

Con.vic.tion.

But what do I do next?

I pray.

I pray for wisdom. I pray for eyes to see where I have been disobedient. I pray for eyes to see opportunities to give. Opportunities to sacrifice. Faith to make those sacrifices. And I pray for a sincere heart. That I may give with joy. Sacrifice with love. Live in obedience.

And that through my obedience someone may see Christ.

Amen.

If you are interested, here is a story of a man name James who is living a life of sacrifice.

The Good, The Bad, and The Bob

Yesterday I went back to the doctor. Once again, the results are the same. My doctor views surgery as a last resort, so we are pumping up my meds. The good news is she wants to give them time to work, so I won't have testing again for 4 months. Four months without doctor bills will be oh so nice!

I appreciate all your continued prayers, and although the test results haven't changed, I have recently had less pain, so that is definitely a praise.

On a lighter note, I took yesterday off work for my appointments. Today, when I returned, my coworkers informed me that My Little Sweetheart spent the day announcing that I wasn't at work because I was in the bedroom with Bob. Yes, I gasped too.

My coworkers are actually enjoying the Bob scenario, and tease me about it as much as possible.

We have decided the father of my child was inspired by one of these familiar faces:

Bachelor #1
Bachelor #2
Bachelor #3

So, who do you think it is? Personally, I am rooting for Bachelor #2.

You Capture.Yellow.

My first ever You Capture. This week the theme was yellow, and I chose this little ray of sunshine!

Some Days I Just Want to Hold Babies

I love working in special education.

I love working with at-risk youth.

I love encouraging them to push themselves, whether physically, socially, mentally, or spiritually. I love seeing breakthroughs.

I love the constant challenges that my jobs bring.

But some days I just want to hold babies...

and there are so many babies that need to be held.


Today is one of those days.

Bob

Yesterday, as I was working with one of my students, whom I call my Little Sweetheart (really, he has the sweetest little soul ever), my mom called. I usually don't pick up calls at work, but when he heard the phone ring I told him my mom was calling, and he insisted I answer.

And then I let him say hello.

The conversation went something like this, "Hello Miss Allen's mom, my name is *Little Sweetheart* (except he actually said his real name, first and last, I was so proud). Uh-huh, Uh-huh. Hello Miss Allen's mom, my name is *Little Sweetheart*. Uh-huh, Uh-huh. Hello Miss Allen's mom, my name is *Little Sweetheart*."

After I few rounds I told my Little Sweetheart to say goodbye. So, of course, he said, "Goodbye Miss Allen's mom, my name is *Little Sweetheart*."

Okay, can you see why I love this kid?

Anyways, the story does not end there. Little did I know, by my innocent little phone call, a new obsession was created.

Not only with my mom, but with my dad, my dog, my baby, and my Bob (in case you were wondering, I do not have a baby or a Bob).

Really, all day, I had a shadow repeating, "Miss Allen's mom, Miss Allen's dad, Miss Allen's dog, Miss Allen's baby, Miss Allen's Bob."

But I still love the kid...Even after he got on the bus with this picture:


And exclaimed, "Hello Bus Driver! Miss Allen's baby and Miss Allen's Bob!"

So, Bob, if you are out there, I don't know who you are, but apparently you are the father of my child.